Six Climbers Presumed Dead on Mt. Rainier

By Climbing Staff

Liberty Ridge is the shallow ridge line in center. Photo by John Scurlock.

5/31/14 - A guided team attempting the Liberty Ridge route on 14,410-foot Mt. Rainier—two guides and four clients—has been missing since Wednesday, and searchers today found a debris field that suggested an avalanche had wiped out the entire team. Fawn Bauer, a National Park Service spokeswoman, was quoted in the Seattle Times as saying that rescuers "feel there is no chance of survival at this point."

Bauer said searchers flying over the scene in a helicopter had seen tents, clothing, and other equipment in a large debris field on the Carbon Glacier, below Liberty Ridge on the north side of the mountain. The evidence suggests the entire team may have been swept more than 3,000 feet down the mountain.

Todd Burleson, founder of Alpine Ascents International, told reporters the lead guide on the ascent, Matt Hegeman, called in on Tuesday and said the team had made it to Thumb Rock, a traditional camp on the route. On Wednesday, the guide called again and said they planned to camp at ca. 12,800 feet. There was no further contact with the climbers. The team had planned to descend from Rainier by Friday.

Matt Hegeman. Photo courtesy of Alpine Ascents International.

Names of the victims have not been released publicly, but the two guides are known to have been Hegeman and Eitan Green, both working for Alpine Ascents International. Hegeman, an AMGA certified alpine guide based in Truckee, California, had climbed Rainier more than 50 times. Green, 29, began climbing and guiding in New England and now guided in Ouray, Colorado, during the winters and for Alpine Ascents during the warmer months.

Eitan Green. Photo courtesy of San Juan Mountain Guides.

Liberty Ridge, the most popular of the more difficult routes on Washington's highest peak, is also statistically the most dangerous route on the mountain. Less than 2 percent of climbers attempt Rainier by Liberty Ridge, but over the last 30 years, through 2013, more than 35 percent of the fatalities on Rainier have involved Liberty Ridge ascents. This tragic incident may raise that percentage significantly.

The worst accident on Mt. Rainier was in 1981, when 11 climbers were killed by an avalanche on the Ingraham Glacier.

11 comments

Previous Comments

Steve House has a chapter in his book "Beyond the Mountain" titled, Death on Easy Ground; we think this is easy and we know it will go, then all hell breaks loose.

Richard E. Kissee - 06/06/2014 6:17:10

I'm saddened to hear of this. My condolences go out to the loved ones of the guides and the climbers & the folks at Alpine Ascents.

Wayne Simoneau - 06/05/2014 8:16:42

This is a very sad tradegy, my heart goes out to Alpine Ascents and the families of the climbers.

Erik - 06/03/2014 10:35:45

very tragic

dk - 06/03/2014 4:49:14

So sorry to hear of this accident.
Liberty ridge is the most popular of the DIFFICULT routes.
If I have my facts correct:
Roughly 80-150 people attempt the Liberty Ridge route per year. About half of them summit, while many retreat down the route before having summited.
Roughly 10,000 people attempt to climb Rainer every year, most by the routes on the south side of the mountain and some via Camp Sherman on the east side of the mountain.
I've climbed Liberty Ridge in 2006 with two friends, and I feel lucky to still be alive.
My heart goes out to the families and of these climbers and guides.

Tom - 06/02/2014 11:04:53

This is so intense. Saddens me...❤️ for the families involved.

Marcius - 06/02/2014 7:17:21

This explanation us helpful, thanks. It does raise the question of why they were camped where they were. It seems just below the seracs, where I was struck by the edge of an avalanche years ago.

Jeff Jurach - 06/02/2014 6:04:21

Sorry for the confusion, Ron. Liberty Ridge is the most popular of the "difficult" routes on Rainier.

Climbing Staff - 06/02/2014 7:21:21

Liberty Ridge is the "most popular" route but "less than two percent attempt Rainier by Liberty Ridge." Huh?

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